Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-08-07
FOLSOM PRISON.
An Investigation into its
Management.
CONVICT HUNTS TESTIMONY.
Warden McCOmb Gives His Views
on the Question of Solitary
Confinement.
FOLSOM PRISON.
CONVICT HUNTS TESTIMONY.

Associated Press Dispatches to the HERALD.
FOLSOM, August 6.-The Prison Di
rectors met this morning to begin in-
vestigation into the charges against
the management of the Folsom prison
All were present except President
Boggs.
PREPARATORY DEBATE.
Director Sonntag suggested that the
best way to begin the investigation
was to hear statements from each Of
the convicts claiming to have been in.
jured and brutally treated, and then
to make personal examinations of the
cells and question each complaining
convict.
FILCHER's IDEAS.
Director Filcher insisted that every
feature of the management of the in
stitution should be a subject of in.
quiry. A reporter to whom he told
the story had exaggerated the truth OF
his statements, but he proposed to
stand by his statements and to push
the investigation to an issue.
DEvLIN's MOTION.
Devlin, after considerable discus
sion, moved to proceed to the investi-
CATION of the affairs of the prison, so
far as the subject of solitary confine-
ment and the treatment of prisoners
xuo q oanoarpaI Jo c,,noaekoJ aI.<
that they proceed to inquire into the
most serious charge, that in which the
public find great interest, namely,
alleged brutality to the prisoners.
Filcher-Does that strike you as
fair, General?
Warden McComb-Certainly.
Mr.. Devlin--We wish to merely in
quire. This is not an investigation
with view to the dismissing of the
Warden Or with interfering in the
management.
THE FIRST WITNESS.
Convict II. T. Hunt was the first
witness called. He was convicted for
killing man in Los Angeles and SEN
fenced for life. He told his story and
said that he had been nineteen months
in solitary confinement. He had
been six months in his cell
could not tell why he was put into
solitary cell. Five months ago he was
ordered by the doctor to have only
two meals day instead of three. He
got one meal once day for two
months. A year ago he had the priv
ilege of bathing, but for ten months
thereafter he had no chance to bathe.
Since the 11th of last month he was
allowed to bathe every day.
PLENTY OF CLEAN CLOTHES.
The convicts have clean clothes
every week, but do not get underwear.
The dungeon cell is 71sx8 feet and
about feet high. The bed consists
of barley straw mattress, and there
are two blankets allowed in winter
and two in summer. The solitary cell
is about the same as the other cells,
except that they put little piece
of iron with small holes over the ven
tilator in the rear. He said he could
not read in the solitary cell. There
had been no punishment inflicted on
him except solitary confinement.
Hunt is 90 years old. He saw the
warden to-day for the first time in
twenty-five months.
IN PRISON BEFORE.
He was in Jail once before for shoot
ing a man whom he didn't kill but
wished to God he had. He had a
knife in his cell one and one-half
inches long for three months which
he found in the mattress. Regarding
the medical treatment, Hunt testified
that he had sent for medicine seven
or eight times at night and did not
get any. He was satisfied with his
treatment now as he gets mutton
chops and roast beef alternately.
BoGGs' PROTEST.
A letter arrived during the afternoon
from Chairman Boggs, dated at Sacra-
and in it he claimed that to-
days meeting was illegal.
M'CoMB's STATEMENT.
Warden McComb's statement was
made to the Directors in the evening.
He said that solitary confinement had
been adopted as means of punish
ment because it was as effective and not
so severe or degrading as other means.
He considered that Schmit was wholly
intractable and thought that to place
him out of dungeon again would be
to imperil human life. The warden's
statement was summed up in dec
laration that solitary confinement is
the most humane punishment for re-
fractory criminals that can be devised.
The inquiry has caused much agita-
ton and disquiet among the prisoners,
and three extra men have been sta
toned at each guard-house tonight.